Method and means for cleaning silver, gold, platinum, and other articles



. W. W. EVERTS.

l METHOD AND MEANS FOR CLEANING-S|LVER, GOL,D,'PLATINUM, AND OTHER ARTICLES. APPLICATION FILED IUD/6. 191s.

1,41 mos. Patented May I6, 1922 J/ /ll/ Jl/ l//l l /l INVL'NToR Wler W Ever/$5 SAS l WILBER W. EVERTS, F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

I METHOD AND MEANS FOR CLEANING- SILNIm., GOLD, PLATINUM, AND OTHER ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters-Patent.

Patented May 16, 1922.

4 Application led. *July 6, 1918. Serial No. 243,732.

for Cleansing Silver, Gold, Platinum, and

@ther Articles, of which theV following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in method of and means for cleaning silver, gold, platinum. and other ,articles and has for itsv object to provide a plate or unit of twometals adapted to be submerged in a salt solution whereby the local action set up by plate or unit will decompose the solution and free the chlorine, which will destroythe foreign matter on the surfaces of metallic and other articles immersed in the solution.

. A further objectof the invention is to provide a bi-metal plate or unit, which when placed` in a salt solution will set up an action to decompose the solution for freeing the chlorine to act as a cleaning agent.

Another object of the inventionis to provide a plate or unit composed of zinc and copper either as an alloy or laminated structure.

`With these ends in view this invention consists'in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth then specifically designated Aby the claims;

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same 'Ilwill describe its construction in detail referring by numeral to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application in which- Fig. 1, is a sectional view of la receptacle kor container adapted to hold a salt solution bodied 2 represents a suitable receptacle or container for holding a salt solution 3 formed by Imixing salt with water in any desirable proportions and in/this solution is submerged the plate or unit 4:.

rIhe plate or unit is formed o-f zinc and copper preferably in the form of an alloy' in which zinc is predominant as for instance .said platey may contain 75% of. zinc and .25% of copper.

Instead of making the plate or unit as an alloy it may be formed as a laminated structure each' metal being in the form of a plate or sheet shown in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive fastened together-in any suitable o r well known manner. The plate or unit when made as alaminated structure comprises a sheet of zinc 5 and a sheet of copper 6 one of which is superimposed upon the other.

y In Fig. 2, the two sheets of metal are shown as adhering to each other which may be accomplished b-y the well known method of rolling, while in Fig. 3, one of the sheets, as for instance the copper s-heet 6, is shown withits edges turned up or bent over thel edges of the other sheet 5 so as to form a flange 7 which will readily hold the two sheets in contact with one another.

In Fig. et, I have shown another means whereby the two sheets may be fixed to each other and comprises a number of rivets passing through both sheets and having their ends headed against the outer faces of said sheets and these rivetswould preferably be of copper.

Another way to fasten the two sheets together would be to form holes in one of the sheets, as for instance the zinc sheet 5, and then draw portions of the other sheet through said holes which would produce lugs 9 and then expand or enlarge the projecting .ends of said lugs so as to form heads which would preventv the separation of the sheets.

In practice the salt solution is placed in a 10e -mersed in the solution so that atleast one of them is in Contact with each other at 1025 which time an action is set up to decompose the salt solution and separate the chlorine which will destroy the foreign matter on the surfaces of the articles thereby thoroughly cleaning them. After the articles have been 11a immersed a sufficient length-of time they are rinsed and wiped leaving them' perfectly clean and giving them a very bright luster. Of course l do not wish to'be limited to the exact details of construction as herein shown as these maybe varied within the limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my'invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefnl- 'A 1. The method of cleaning the surface of an article which consists in immersing the karticle in a salt solution containing a bi- "metal plate.

2. rlhe method of cleaning the surface of an article whlch consists in immersing the article in a salt solution containijhg a plate of two metals of opposite polarity. A

3. As an article of manufacture, a unit comprising a sheet of zinc, a Sheet of copper and rivets passing through both 02E said sheets for fastening them together.

4. A n article of manufacture, a unit comprising two sheets of metal of opposite polarity, one of said sheets having holes therethrough and lugs drawn from the other sheet, passing through said holes and headed to `hold the sheetsl together.

ln testimony whereof, l have hereunto affixed my signature.

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